country: Africa
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A woman’s determination to excel!
Rose Onyango is an energy entrepreneur engaged in the production of Improved Cookstoves (ICS) liners in Nyahera village, Kisumu County, Kenya. She is a married mother of four children: two in Primary school level, one in Secondary level and one at Tertiary education level. Before joining the energy business, Rose was engaged in farming activities.…
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Harnessing the power of digital marketing in empowering energy entrepreneurs
Clay Works Innovation Center, an improved cookstoves liner production center in Kakamega County’s Ichingo village (Kenya), was launched in January 2020. The group started off as a pottery production center back in November 2019, with a membership of six individuals; two men and four women on a full time pottery production job and part time…
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How Assy Ba is coping with the severe impacts on her business
My business has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, due to the restrictions placed on travels. The economic impact on my activity is severe. Once my savings are gone, I will not have any other sources of income to feed my family, let alone to repay my business loan. Assy is a…
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Jane Anyango Kola’s post-coronavirus hopes for her community
I believe that this crisis could be an opportunity to promote clean and modern energy services in rural areas. This would also help my business grow, while improving health and education in my community. Jane Anyango Kola lives in Homabay Town, on the shores of Lake Victoria in Western Kenya. She has been…
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Aïssata Ba thinks outside the box to keep her business going in trying times
Following the success of her previous vegetable harvest, Aïssata Ba started a second agricultural cycle of tomatoes and cabbages, towards the end of 2019. From seeds to seedlings, she nurtured the crops using a solar-powered water pump to keep them well irrigated. Abundance of water and sun turned her 0.15 hectares of land in…
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I am proof that women too can excel in solar installations
Rebecca Aseyo is a 33-year-old solar sales agent for Sun King Company, in Kakamega County, Kenya. Widow and mother of three children, she also takes care of her sister’s two children. Apart from selling solar products, Rebecca also sells second hand ladies clothes. After a hard toil of sourcing funds to go to college…
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Rehema Leander Kabuta: A Wedding Gift that changed her life
By Thabit Mikidadi “She started raising chickens and ducks when we were living in a rented house” recalls her husband Leonard, recognizing the entrepreneurship zeal his wife has. Rehema has always been active to pursue business opportunities. “I started baking with aluminum placed over burning charcoal over pots and sand when I was young”,…
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Omowumi Johnbull: A natural entrepreneur, problem-solver and systems-lover
By Fid Thompson, Solar Sister Meet Omowumi Johnbull, a natural entrepreneur, problem-solver, systems-lover, and Solar Sister dynamic Management Administrator in Nigeria. If we could bottle her energy, it would probably power a nation. Wumi, as she is known, is from Ondo State in southwest Nigeria, but she has also lived in Edo State and…
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Roselyne Akello: “This business has brought so much joy in my life”
By Josephine Osengo, Practical Action It was an extremely hot month of January back in 2009 when her husband broke the news that he was relocating to a different country in search of a steady income, recalls Roselyne Akello. That day is etched in her mind as it was on the same day that…
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Fatou Thiam Sow: “Women are the heart of society and any progress is only possible through their participation”
By Alessandra Moscadelli, Energy 4 Impact Growing up in Senegal, the economist Fatou Thiam Sow never doubted that people have the ability to meet life’s challenges. She considers herself a great optimist and remains convinced that everyone can make a contribution to creating a better world. Having always been interested in gender issues, Fatou…
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New solar batteries help Awa get business back on track
Business is booming for Senegalese entrepreneur Awa Sene, the first cold trader in the rural village of Khassid, located 150 km southwest of Dakar. The solar freezer that she purchased 18 months ago has enabled her to generate healthy profits by selling refrigerated and frozen products such as fruit juices, yogurt, milk, ice and chilled…
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Millicent Akinyi Dula: “I want to be the first woman to set-up a briquette production centre in my village”
Millicent Akinyi Dula, a mother of six, is an improved cook stoves and briquettes entrepreneur based in Rarieda town, Siaya County, Kenya. Alongside her clean energy business, she manages a small scale farm with dairy cows, maize, and local vegetables. When she lost her husband back in 1999, she was not sure whether she would…